Morning Potato Pancake Stacks

It’s no surprise that I LOVE breakfast – reference here, here and here. It’s one of the easiest things to make at home, and what I like most is that you can make it in your pj’s, eat it in your pj’s and stay in your pj’s instead of having to get up, out and in the lines for brunch.

I had a minor panic attack thinking I might actually have to go out for breakfast Saturday morning, but ended up making one of the most amazing breakfasts I’ve had in a while. I’d been wanting to make latke’s or potato pancakes for a while now, and this was a perfect excuse. Without and English muffins or bread, these potato pancakes were the perfect vessel for my mock Benedicts without the hollandaise.

The pancakes turned out GREAT. They were a perfect mix of textures: crispy on the outside, soft and well cooked on the inside. I put a bit of onion in them, so there was a touch of sweetness. It was a fabulous bite with some sautéed spinach and a fried egg on top. With the yolks still runny I didn’t even miss a hollandaise! Pair with a side of bacon and you have one amazing breakfast that keeps you comfy cozy in your own home.

Potato Pancakes*

2 russet potatoes – grated or julianned on a mandolin

1/2 medium onion

a few tablespoons flour

a splash of cream

salt + pepper

Mix the potato and onion in a bowl. Add a sprinkling of flour over, and some cream. Mix together until a just slightly thick and creamy, add more flour if necessary. The potatoes have a lot of water in them, so you will need less cream than flour. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil in pan, enough to cover the bottom, on medium heat. When oil is hot, form a patty of potato onion mixture of about 1/4 of mixture and place into oil. Repeat with rest of mixture, making 4 pancakes total.

Cook until bottoms start to brown and cover with lid. Covering allows the potatoes to cook faster, otherwise the bottoms will get too dark before the insides are cooked. You will start to see the edges change – some of the creamy color will disappear. When the center of the pancake changes color, it’s about time to flip.

When the bottom is brown and the inside looks cooked, carefully flip over. Continue to cook until the other side is dark brown as well.

Putting it together:

I layered the potato pancake with some sautéed spinach (brown some onion and add spinach to wilt with salt and pepper) and a fried egg (cooked to your level of doneness). You could easily replace the spinach with bacon or ham, tomato, or any of your favorite Benedict layerings.

* Most recipes I looked at called for an egg as binder – since I had a limited number of eggs, I used some flour and cream